


no grave can hold my body down

by VeryImportantDemon



Series: Work Song [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Amenadiel is a good bro, Angels, Chloe is a good nurse, Chloe learns things, F/M, Gen, Hell as a setting, Hospital Scenes, Hurt Lucifer, Hurt Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Hurt/Comfort, Lucifer escapes from Hell, Lucifer gets back to Earth, Lucifer’s superhero origin story, Maze With A Baby, Maze cares a lot, Post Season 4, Reunions, She just cares loudly and violently, Sick Lucifer, Sick Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Tags to be updated as we go, hooray Lucifer is back, making deals, no beta we die like men, police work, she cares about him a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-07 15:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19087669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryImportantDemon/pseuds/VeryImportantDemon
Summary: Lucifer, desperate to return to Earth, does what devils do and makes a deal.Or: what Lucifer is willing to sacrifice for his new life and how he and his family deal with the fallout.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Another?? WIP?? And it’s Lucifer? Shocker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer makes a deal.

One thing Lucifer was not was idle. He didn’t sit around and wait for things to come to him. He knew what he wanted and he went for it.

 

He was no different during his time in Hell. He knew what he wanted and that was escape. The only problem was how. His first few visits had been easy enough. He simply popped up and back down when he was ready. But this time was different. This time, if he left, scores of demons would be released upon the Earth to cause destruction. They’d target him or - his father forbid - Chloe and Charlie. He couldn’t let that happen. But he couldn’t stay here, either. He was a brand new devil, one whose home was Earth and who did not want to risk become the Devil he used to be. He knew loneliness could corrupt and he didn’t want that happening again. He needed to get back to Earth.

 

Idleness would mean sitting around, thinking of nothing, and not a moment went by that Lucifer wasn’t planning what he dared to call his grandest escape.

 

Lucifer fancies himself intelligent, which was why it didn’t take him too long to come up with a plan. He was Lucifer bloody Morningstar - he was going to get out of this the way he had always gotten out of things, by doing what he did best. He was going to make a deal.

 

There was one thing he could try, one person he could try to talk to. The chances that it wouldn’t work were high, but Lucifer was willing to do anything. And he wasn’t asking for something with nothing in return, after all. He was making a deal. And it had worked once before...

 

“Hello, Dad,” he said, sliding down on his throne. “If you’re up there, I have a question to ask.” He paused, steepling his hands with his fingertips of his hands touching. “Not a question so much as a favor. I need to get back to Earth. You sent me here once before and I know You could let go. I know Mum’s the word on, well, Mum, but I’m willing to offer you another favor. And you know I’m good on my word.”

 

Lucifer paused, holding his breath. But he let it out after hearing nothing but the souls of the damned. “Well,” he huffed, straightening up on his throne. He crossed his right leg over his left, an arm on each arm rest. “Alright,” he said, “plan B it is, then.” He hadn’t wanted to resort to his second choice, but if that was what it took, then so be it. He would do it.

 

He patted his jacket, finding the cigarette package in his inside pocket. He opened it, removed the last cigarette, and threw the box like a frisbee. He had been saving his last one for a special occasion and putting his plan into action seemed like a good one. Lucifer pulled the lighter out of one of his pockets, lighting the cigarette before replacing it. That he didn’t want to throw aimlessly to his kingdom below. Lucifer spoke the entire cigarette, blowing perfect smoke rings every time. When he was finished, he uncrossed his legs, rose to his feet, and fell forward.

 

There was no fear of death. He was in Hell, after all. If he died here, where would he go? But the adrenaline rush he got hurtling towards the ground was enough. At the last possible moment, he snapped out his wings, the air catching them and pulling him upwards. He winced a little at the stress on them but flew onwards, each beat of his massive wings carrying him farther. He’d forgotten how good flying felt.

 

But good things couldn’t last forever. His destination soon drew closer and he glided towards an uneven formation of stone, alighting gently and folding his wings back in. He picked his way towards the ground, agile even in a suit.

 

He had almost forgotten what the depths of Hell were like. Every surface surrounding him was dingy stone, towering over him as far as he could see. Even with his wings folded away, he still felt claustrophobic. There was dust in the air, making it thick and hazy. There were doors, too, doors stretching before him and behind him seemingly forever. There was screaming behind some of the doors, crying behind others, and unnervingly, behind some there was nothing. The doors, however, weren’t what he was here for.

 

Straightening his suit jacket, Lucifer pressed onwards. The dust thickened slowly into a cloud of fog as he walked, so slowly that he almost didn’t realize it until he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. That was when he knew he was close.

 

“The King has returned,” a voice said from the darkness.

 

“Ah, yes,” Lucifer said. “About that, darling. Let’s get a bit of light here, why don’t we?” He pulled the lighter out of his pocket, flicking it a few times.

 

“Ah, Wait,” he said. “Silly me. We can do this better.” He unfurled his wings, stretching them out to their full span, casting an almost heavenly glow on his surroundings.

 

The voice who had spoken was a woman with her wrists shackled together and chains on her ankles stretching off into the darkness. She looked too much like Maze. “Long time, no see, Lilith.”

 

She smiled, her lips curling up into a wicked grin. “Too long, my King,” she purred.

 

“Pleasure,” Lucifer said, “but I haven’t come for pleasantries. I’ve come to ask a favor.”

 

“A favor?” Lilith said. She laughed out loud, throwing her head back. “Come closer, Lightbringer.”

 

Lucifer stepped a little nearer to her, just enough to pacify the demon. “What does the almighty lord of Hell want from little old me?”

 

“To not be in Hell, for starters,” Lucifer said. “I’d forgotten how terribly drab it was down here.”

 

“And how exactly will I be helping you with that, my Lord?” Lilith asked, arching an eyebrow. “And what’s in it for me?” She looked far, far too much like Mazikeen for his comfort.

 

“Why, the throne,” Lucifer said, spreading his hands. “My glorious kingdom, all yours. You’ve very little to lose and much to gain. Who better to be Queen of Demons than their very own mother?”

 

Lilith stepped closer, the chains on her ankles clanking, echoing in the nothingness. She raised her hands, tracing the line of his jaw with one finger. “You want this,” she whispered. “You _desire_ this.”

 

Lucifer kept his eyes forward. “You could say that I do,” he said.

 

Lilith leaned up on her toes, whispering so close to him he could feel her breath on his face. “And what are you willing to give?”

 

Lucifer took a deep breath and whispered back.

 

Lilith pulled back, laughing. “I accept,” she said. “And I’m feeling quite generous. I’ll allow you a little gift.”

 

Lucifer let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thank you,” he said, bowing slightly, “Queen. Long may you reign.”

 

Shaking her head, Lilith laughed again. She jerked her hands apart, the chains snapping in the exact center. “Don’t thank me,” she said, reaching up to cup his cheeks in her hands. “We’re doing a deal.”

 

“That we are,” Lucifer said.

 

Lilith smiled at him, a wretched smile of a woman who knew she was getting more than was fair in their bargain. But, of course, she held all the cards. Locking eyes with Lucifer, she spoke, her voice a low, sultry, whisper.

 

“Long live the King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm... what did he give her we shall see


	2. Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While working a case, Chloe receives an interesting phone call.

It had been three months. Three months and nothing felt normal. How could it? Chloe’s partner, the man she loved, was gone. It hurt more because she knew exactly where he went and why. He was in Hell and he might never come back. 

 

Chloe was fine before Lucifer. She could do this - her job, her life - without him. But the thing was she didn’t want to do it without him. Her life was better with him in it. He couldn’t come back, though. If he came back, it would put her in danger. Her and Charlie both.it was admirable, honorable. It was the kindest, most selfless thing she’d ever seen anyone do, condemning himself to an eternity of Hell to protect them. That didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt, though. She missed him. 

 

She could count on one hand the number of people who knew where Lucifer truly went. Her, Amenadiel, Maze, and Linda. Lying to anyone who asked where he went was hard, but lying to Trixie was the worst. He went home, she said. Her voice broke when she said that she didn’t know when he was coming back.

 

Life moved on, even if it was a strange life without Lucifer. She drove Trixie to and from school, she went to cases, she solved murders, she babysat Charlie on occasion. She had drinks with Maze, Linda, and Ella. She had dinner with Dan and Trixie. She avoided Lux at all costs. She lived her life, but she didn’t move on. It would take a lot longer than three months to move on from Lucifer, if she ever could.

 

Climbing out of the car at the crime scene, Chloe heaved a sigh. It was already crawling with people but she only had eyes for three of them - Ella and their two victims. She just needed to focus on her work. “Alright, what do we got?” Chloe asked as she strode over to the bodies.

 

“Gunshot wound caused both deaths,” Ella said, standing up. She snapped the wrist of one of her blue latex gloves. “Vic numero uno took a bullet to the chest.” She gestured to the dead woman with her toe. “But this guy over here, took his right through the mouth.” 

 

“Not a popular place to shoot someone if you’re trying to kill them,” Chloe observed. 

 

“It’s not,” Ella said, shifting her weight. “But it does look a lot like…”

 

“Suicide,” Chloe finished.

 

“Bingo,” Ella said. “Classic murder suicide. But, did you noticed anything strange about the bodies?” 

 

Frowning, Chloe crouched down for a closer look. “The positions,” she said. “It looks staged.” She rose to her feet, looking up at Ella again. “Any forms of ID found on the body?” 

 

“Nope,” Ella said. “Not a thing. And no signs of anything having been taken off them. Someone’s searching the house right now.” She pointed to the house, the driveway of which the bodies were laying in. 

 

“Great,” Chloe said. “I’ll talk to the neighbors, see if anyone heard anything.” 

 

Ella hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t speak for a few moments. Chloe lingered, too. 

 

“This is weird,” Ella said finally. “This is really weird.”

 

“Lucifer not being here?” Chloe said, but she already knew what the answer was going to be. 

 

“Yeah,” Ella said. “I miss him.” 

 

“Me, too,” Chloe said, sighing softly. She swallowed hard before turning on her heel and starting towards the house on the left. 

 

“Wait, Chloe,” Ella called. She turned to face the forensic scientist and her friend. “If you, uh… You ever need to talk, or, you know… Wanna hang out sometime, get your mind off of things, hit me up.” 

 

Chloe smiled faintly at the offer. “Thanks, Ella,” she said. “I will.” Sticking her hands in her pockets, Chloe started towards the neighboring house again. She almost made it to the sidewalk before she was stopped by someone else calling out to her.

 

“Hey, Chloe!”

 

She recognized Dan’s voice immediately. He was sitting in her car, his feet on the pavement with a phone in his hand. After he spoke, he stood up, slamming the car door and starting towards her. “You got a call,” he said. “Missing persons. You were talking to Lopez so I grabbed it.”

 

“Missing persons?” Chloe said, frowning. “I’m a homicide detective.” 

 

“I know,” Dan said. “They’ve got some crazy guy on the beach. They can’t get an ID off of him but he keeps asking for Chloe Decker. They’re digging through missing persons reports to try and find him, but they want you to talk to him. See if you can get something out of him.”

 

“Why was he asking for me?” Chloe said, bewildered. 

 

Dan shrugged. “I don’t know, Chlo,” he said. “I’ll text you the location they left.”

 

“You take that house,” she said as she started towards her car. “Call me if you find out anything, okay?”

 

“Will do,” Dan said, “but you’re gonna need this.” He tossed her phone. Chloe grabbed it out of the air, shoving it in her pocket before she climbed into the car. Probably a drunk, if she had to hazard a guess, but what she couldn’t figure out was how a random drunk on an LA beach knew her and what he wanted from her. 

 

She didn’t have to wait long to find out. When she pulled up to the edge of the sand, there was a uniformed officer waiting for her. “Detective Chloe Decker?” he said. 

 

“The one and only,” she said as she climbed out of the car. “Who’ve you got down here?” 

 

“Some crazy guy,” he said as he started leading her towards the beach. “Says he’s from LA but he’s been away for years. That’s what got us thinking he was some kind of abductee that got dumped on the beach.” 

 

“That doesn’t make sense,” Chloe said, frowning. “Who’d go through all the trouble of kidnapping someone to just dump them out here?” 

 

The officer shrugged. “Drop him naked out here, too,” he said. “It doesn’t, really, but that’s all we got. An older woman opening her ice cream stand for the day found him passed out, thought he was dead, and called us. While she was on the phone, he woke up. Scared her half to death so she told him she was on the line with the police. He said, good, tell them I want Chloe Decker. He says you’re the only person who’d believe him.”

 

“Believe him,” Chloe echoed. “Believe what?”

 

“That’s just the thing, Detective,” The Officer said, gesturing to a cluster of people down the beach. She could make out a naked man with dark hair with his back to the ocean and a loose semicircle of three other officers. The man was waving an arm around, shouting something she couldn’t make our empathetically. “He says he’s the Devil


	3. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Lucifer reunite after a few months and a few decades, respectively.

Lucifer,” Chloe whispered. Her eyes widened when she realized who the crazy man on the beach was. “Lucifer, oh my god.” She took off down the beach without a care in the world other than Lucifer, kicking up sand behind her. “Lucifer!” she shouted. “Lucifer!”

 

At her frantic shouting, the other three officers turned. “Detective Decker,” one of them said, “he could be dangerous, stand back and talk-“

 

Chloe didn’t slow down, calling out again. “Lucifer!” 

 

The dark haired man dropped his arm, turning to catch sight of her. It really was Lucifer, her Lucifer. She barely registered how pale his face was, how thin he looked. All she could think about was that Lucifer was here and he was alive.

 

“Chloe,” he said softly. She saw his lips moving but she was still too far away to actually hear him. He stumbled towards her, but she was eating up distance much faster than he was. She tried to slow down but her momentum was too much and she threw her arms around him, tackling him to the ground. 

 

Lucifer’s breath left him in a whoosh as his back hit the ground, Chloe squeezing him as tightly as she could. “Lucifer,” she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. “Lucifer, I missed you so much.”

 

“Guess you are happy to see me,” Lucifer said, hugging her back. 

 

“And you’re happy to see me, too,” Chloe said. 

 

Lucifer chuckled slightly. “That I am, my love,” he said softly.

 

Chloe couldn’t believe that she was here. She was laying on the beach, holding Lucifer, who was warm and here and alive. He was very, very warm. 

 

“Oh my god,” she said. “Lucifer, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Flushing, Chloe released Lucifer, standing up. She held out her hand to help Lucifer to his feet, frowning when she realized there was blood smeared on her fingers.

 

Lucifer took her hand, squeezing it firmly as Chloe pulled him to his feet. “Are you okay? You’re bleeding.” Chloe said. “And you’re hot.”

 

“Thank you, darling,” Lucifer said with a ghost of his cheeky smile. “But I’m alright.”

 

Chloe rolled her eyes slightly. “Turn around,” She said. “Let me see.”

 

Hesitating, Lucifer turned around. 

 

Chloe bit her lip. On Lucifer’s back were two angry and ugly green oozing wounds right where his wings had been. “Oh, Lucifer,” she said softly. She shrugged off her jacket, draping it over Lucifer’s shoulders, her fingertips brushing against his skin. Lucifer sighed softly at her touch. When he turned again, Chloe reached up, brushing his dark hair out of his face and cupping his cheeks in her hands. “How are you here? If you don’t have…” She trailed off, not wanting to sound crazy in front of the police.

 

Lucifer opened his mouth, shaking his head slightly. “It’s a long story,” he said. “And I promise you that I will tell it. But I would very much like to get home.” 

 

“Yes, of course,” Chloe said. “Home.” She put her arm around his waist, turning her attention back to the officers. “I’ve got him from here,” she said. “He’s a… friend.”

 

“You know him?” one of the officers asked raising an eyebrow. “What’s his real name?” 

 

“Lucifer Morningstar,” Chloe said, slowly steering Lucifer towards her car. He was making progress but it was slow progress, his feet dragging in the sand. She knew he’d be swaying if she wasn’t supporting him. 

 

“How long have I been gone?” Lucifer asked, leaning against Chloe while her car slowly drew closer. 

 

“Three months,” Chloe said. 

 

“Oh, dear,” Lucifer said.

 

“How… How long was it down there?” Chloe asked tentatively, almost afraid of the answer. 

 

“Oh, I lost track after the first couple decades,” Lucifer said, shrugging slightly. 

 

Chloe’s heart sank. Decades. Lucifer had been in Hell, alone, for decades.

 

“Lucifer,” she said softly. 

 

“Home first,” Lucifer said, closing his eyes. “I think my… What’s it called… Adrenaline is wearing off. I don’t feel good.” 

 

Looking up at Lucifer’s face, Chloe winced sympathetically. Lucifer was a few shades paler than he’d been a few minutes ago with a slight green. “Okay,” Chloe said. “You’re coming to my house. It’s closer.” She glanced over at the car, supporting Lucifer around the front. 

 

“I’m going to let you go, Lucifer,” she said. “Just for a second so I can get the car door open, okay?” 

 

Lucifer hummed in acknowledgement as Chloe slipped her arm away from his waist, putting it on his shoulder to steady him so she could open the door with her other hand. She barely opened the door when she felt Lucifer slipping under her hand. 

 

On instinct, she turned, managing to catch him before he fell to the ground. “Lucifer,” she said, “you scared the hell out of me.” 

 

“I wish you could scare the Hell out of me,” Lucifer murmured, his eyes fluttering shut. 

 

“Come on, Lucifer,” Chloe said. “Just need to get you in the car, then we’ll be home and you can take a nap.” She steered him into the seat, sympathetically wincing at the pained look on his face as he sunk down. “I have a blanket in the trunk,” she said. “Hold on, okay?” 

 

“Holding,” Lucifer said, letting his eyes flutter shut again. 

 

Chloe hurried around the back of the car, popping the trunk and grabbing the blanket. She shook it out, her frantic pace slowing when she reappeared at the open car door. Lucifer looked exhausted, pale and shaking, and his back was bleeding. He looked like a mess, worse than when he hadn’t slept for a week and almost as bad as when he’d been shot being held hostage at Lux. But he was here, in her car, and not in Hell. How he got back she had no idea but that wasn’t her priority. Her priority was getting him somewhere safe so she could get him cleaned up and taken care of. 

 

Gently, she tucked the blanket around him. He was warm enough that she wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a fever, but she did want him covered up. Lucifer’s eyes fluttered open at her gentle touch and he smiled a little. “I did miss you, my love,” he said. “I’ve not had a kind touch in decades.” 

 

Chloe smiled sadly, reaching over to cup his cheeks in her hands. “That’s not a problem you’re going to have to worry about anymore,” Chloe said. She leaned over, kissing his forehead tenderly and brushing away a curly lock of dark hair damp with sweat. 

 

When she pulled back, Lucifer’s eyes were closed again. She felt her heart jump into her throat but relaxed when she noticed his chest rising and falling slowly.

 

Chloe finally got into the driver’s seat of the car, starting towards her home. There were quite a few people she needed to tell that Lucifer was back but she knew one that she needed first. Pulling her phone out of her pocket with her right hand, Chloe spared a thought for how grateful she was that Trixie wasn’t here. She was not being a terribly safe driver with one hand on the wheel, the other messing with her phone, and constantly looking over at the passenger’s seat. But she was going to do what she had to do. 

 

Luckily, Amenadiel’s name was the first in her contacts. 

 

“ _ Ah, Chloe,”  _ he said when he picked up. “ _ What a pleasant surprise _ .”

 

“I need you to meet me at my place,” she said, drumming her fingers on the wheel and glancing at her partner again. “Lucifer’s back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder what happened to Lucifer guess you’ll have to stay tuned to see


	4. Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer has been missing something and Chloe gives it to him; Maze and Amenadiel arrive.

“ _ Lucifer’s back?”  _

 

Amenadiel’s voice was so loud that Chloe flinched slightly and worried for a moment that he might have disturbed Lucifer, but a quick glance over revealed him exactly as he was when she’d tucked the blanket around him.

 

_ “Wait, Lucifer’s back?”  _ Chloe could head Maze saying from away from the phone. “ _ Put it on speaker.” _

 

“Yes, and he’s in my car,” Chloe said, looking back at the road. “Got a call from missing persons that there was someone on the beach who thought he was the Devil and wanted to talk to me.”

 

_ “I can’t believe he’s back,”  _ Amenadiel said. “ _ I thought for sure I would have sensed him. Celestials can usually get an impression of each other.”  _

 

“Maybe you weren’t looking,” Chloe said. “I… I hoped he’d come back, but I had no idea when. I wasn’t looking, either.”

 

_ “Perhaps,”  _ Amenadiel said. “ _ I will meet you at your home.” _

 

_ “How is he?”  _ Maze interrupted.

 

“He’s asleep right now, I think,” Chloe said. She didn’t say that the other option was unconsciousness but she figured they would know. “But he’s not good. He was naked on the beach. And his back… His wings are gone. Like they were cut off.”

 

_ “His wings are gone,”  _ Amenadiel repeated. “ _ Then how did he-“ _

 

“I don’t know,” Chloe said, her grip on the wheel tightening. “He said it was a long story and he’d tell me but he just wanted to get home.”

 

“ _ There’s no fucking way you’re not taking me with you,”  _ Maze told Amenadiel. “ _ I need to rip him a new one for not saying goodbye.”  _

 

Maze was Lucifer’s oldest friend, Chloe reminded herself. She cared a lot. She just cared violently.

 

“Just… Just meet me there,” she said. “Please. As quickly as you can.”

 

_ “We’ll be there,”  _ Amenadiel said. 

 

“ _ Damn right,”  _ Maze said and the call cut off.

 

Chloe lowered her phone from her ear, taking in a shaking breath. She glanced over at Lucifer again, chewing on her bottom lip. She was so glad to have him back, but something was wrong and she couldn’t quite place what it was. 

 

Luckily, her house swam into the horizon quickly. She pulled into the driveway, as close as she could get to the front door. Taking the keys out of the ignition, Chloe climbed out of the car and around to the other side. She touched Lucifer’s bare shoulder gently. “Lucifer,” she said. “Lucifer, we’re home. You need to wake up.”

 

He didn’t move so Chloe shook his shoulder gently. “I need you to wake up, angel,” she said, the pet name slipping out without her noticing. 

 

Chloe let out a breath of relief when Lucifer’s eyes fluttered open. “Oh, we’re here, are we?” he said. “Perhaps we should get… Get inside. Don’t want the neighbors seeing a naked man in the yard. Might get the… Wrong idea.”

 

Chloe smiled weakly. “Yeah, we need to get you in. Can you stand?” 

 

“Of course,” Lucifer said. He rose to his feet slowly, Chloe’s jacket falling off of his shoulders and into the seat. She almost winced at the sight of the festering wounds on his back when she reached for the blanket. She threw it around his shoulders again before holding his arm with one hand. When he was fully vertical, she could see the color drain from his face. “Darling, I think we may have a problem,” he whispered. 

 

“What is it?” Chloe said. “Lucifer, are you-“

 

Before she could get another word in, Lucifer had collapsed to his knees on the edge of her driveway where he threw up into the grass. Chloe dropped to the ground beside him, rubbing his back like she’d done so many times for Trixie and a handful of times for Dan. She’d never seen him sick, she realized while he heaved. Even when she’d seen him shot and bleeding out, she’d never seen him be sick. 

 

“Sorry, Detective,” Lucifer said, his voice shaking like the hand he used to wipe his mouth with. “That’s new.”

 

“Don’t apologize, Lucifer,” she said. “I’m a mom. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” 

 

Lucifer smiled weakly up at her which made her smile, too. He was infectious like that, especially when she’d missed him so much.

 

“Now, come on,” she said. “We’ve got to get you in the house. Your brother and Maze are on their way over.” 

 

Lucifer didn’t complain when Chloe wrapped her arm around his waist, her other hand on his shoulder to steady him. It was slow going, but they made it to the door. “Lean there,” Chloe said, positioning him next to the door. She didn’t want him falling again like he had at the beach. He could hit his head and since she was here, it would hurt him. She didn’t want him feeling any worse. 

 

She unlocked the door before tossing her key ring onto the kitchen counter and returning for Lucifer. He was very docile, stumbling in whatever direction she pointed him towards. She could tell he was hurting, though, even if he tried to hide it with a soft, sharp intake of breath when movement stressed the wounds on his back.

 

“It’s okay, angel,” she said. “We just need to get to my bed, okay?” 

 

“Bed,” Lucifer murmured and she could tell right away he wasn’t 100% with her. Pushing the cracked door open with her elbow, Chloe entered her bedroom. She slowly lowered him into a sitting position on the Queen-sized mattress. 

 

“Lay on your stomach,” she said. “I don’t want you hurting those. And I need to look at them.” 

 

Lucifer folded like a man with no strength left, crumpling onto the bed. He sighed softly, but she couldn’t quite tell if it was from relief or pain. “I’ve not… Not felt something quite this… Luxurious since I’ve been in Hell.”

 

Chloe’s heart broke as she turned away from him, starting to riffle through her drawers. Her old, needed-to-be-replaced mattress was something special. 

 

“Didn’t think this was how I was… Was going to end up in your bed, Detective,” Lucifer teased gently. She couldn’t help but smile at that, too. Even when he was in pain, he was still trying to make her laugh. 

 

“I know you didn’t,” she said, opening her bottom dresser drawer and digging through that. 

 

“Whatever… Whatever are you looking for?” asked Lucifer from the bed, his voice shaking but still impeccably Lucifer. 

 

“These,” she said, straightening up with the prize in her hand - a pair of boxers. “Dan stayed here with me and Trix for a few days last month while his apartment building was being fumigated. Some of his stuff got lost in the washer and I never got around to giving them back. Let’s get something clean on you. It’ll make you feel better.”

 

Lucifer, still pliable, let her dress him in the forgotten pair of boxers without a single joke. 

 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, crossing to where his head rested. He didn’t look any better and his face was flushed. It had, however, lost some of its greenish tinge. 

 

“A little cold, actually,” Lucifer murmured again. 

 

Chloe put her hand against his neck. He was alarmingly warm. “You’re hot,” she said.

 

“Hotter than Hell?” Lucifer suggested.

 

“Ha, ha,” Chloe said, running her fingers through his hair. She shifted her attention to the wounds on his back. Her heart tightened in her chest and she couldn’t suppress the feeling of helplessness. He was an angel. How could she fix this? Did she just need to get away from and the wounds would heal themselves? But they weren’t normal wounds, she thought.

 

“Chloe,” Lucifer said softly, practically reading her mind. “Don’t go. My… Vulnerability in your presence has nothing to… To do with these. They’re from…”

 

“Your wings,” Chloe supplied. “Your wings are gone.”

 

“On the nose,” Lucifer said. “Hurts like… Well, Hell, too.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Chloe said. “Lucifer, I…”

 

“Don’t be,” Lucifer said. “I… I made my choices, darling.” 

 

Chloe frowned slightly. “Choices,” she repeated, crouching down next to the bed so she could be closer to him. “Did you… Did you give up your wings to get back here or something?” 

 

“Or something,” Lucifer said. “It’s quite complicated, love.”

 

Before she could gently question him any further, she felt a slight breeze through the open door and then Maze talking loudly. 

 

“Decker?” she called. “Where is he?” 

 

“Bedroom,” Chloe called back. 

 

Lucifer blinked slowly before he spoke. “Ah,” he said. “My favorite, honey-voiced demon.” 

 

Chloe ran her fingers through his hair gently again and when she looked up Maze and Amenadiel were at the door. 

 

“Holy shit,” Maze said, balking. “They didn’t look that bad when  _ I  _ cut them off.” 

 

“Mazikeen,” Lucifer said, “your bedside manner is… Is truly astounding.”

 

Amenadiel shook his head, hovering next to Chloe. “I’ve never seen him like this,” she said. 

 

“Neither have I,” Amenadiel said. 

 

“I, uh…” Chloe ran her hands through her hair, trying to think. “I have first aid stuff.” She turned on her heel and quickly left the room. 

 

She dug through her bathroom cabinets looking for everything she thought they might need. In the end, her arms were full of medical supplies - a roll of bandages, hydrogen peroxide, medical tape. She dumped the supplies on the bed when she returned to Amenadiel and Maze on either side. Suddenly, staring at everything she had on the bed, Chloe felt helpless. It couldn’t be enough, could it?

 

“Maybe we should take him to the hospital,” she suggested. 

 

“The hospital,” Maze repeated. “Decker, he’s the Devil. They won’t be able to do anything and they’ll just ask questions they won’t believe the answers to.”

 

“Good point,” Chloe said. “I guess we need to clean them.” She knew it was going to hurt him so she was not terribly excited about the prospect but they looked infected. If they didn’t get them cleaned out, things could get worse. She reached for the bottle but Maze stopped her. 

 

“Let me,” she said. “You two hold him down.”

 

“I’m right here,” Lucifer mumbled, his voice faint. 

 

“I know, Lucifer,” Chloe said. She relinquished the bottle to Maze, kneeling on the ground to be at eye level with Lucifer. “Yes, you are. You’re right here.”

 

Chloe glanced back at Maze just in time to see her dump the peroxide over one of Lucifer’s wounds. His reaction was almost instantaneous as he flinched and whimpered in pain, arching his back in a vain attempt to get rid of Maze. 

 

“Great job, guys,” Maze said wryly. 

 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Chloe said. Amenadiel had gone quiet but he moved now, putting his hands on Lucifer’s shoulders to hold him down. 

 

“We’re almost done,” she told him. “Then we’ll get them wrapped up and get you cooled down so you can rest.” 

 

“That does sound-“ Lucifer’s voice cut off abruptly when he hissed in pain. “Bloody hell, Maze,” he said. 

 

“Sorry,” Maze said, deadpan. “My hand slipped.” She glanced over at Chloe. “What do we do now?” 

 

“Bandage them up,” she said. “Amenadiel?”

 

“I can do that,” he said. 

 

“Okay, good,” Chloe said. “Maze, you remember where the wash cloths are in the bathroom.”

 

“Yeah,” the demon said. 

 

“I need you to get a couple and wet them down with cold water.” 

 

Maze nodded, her task set, and hurried out of the room. Chloe looked over at Amenadiel who was unrolling the bandages and applying them to his brother with precision. 

 

“Be careful, Amenadiel,” Lucifer muttered. “Precious cargo.” 

 

Chloe shook her head, digging through the bottom drawer she’d put Dan’s forgotten clothes in, finding an old pair of lounge pants. She wanted to get Lucifer in something.  

 

She turned from the drawer, pants in hand, to see Lucifer wincing in pain again. “I am sorry, brother,” Amenadiel said softly. “These are very…” He trailed off. “Mortal wounds.” 

 

He stepped back as Chloe returned to the bedside. He looked a little better, his wounds behind clean cotton, but his skin was still pale, his face flushed. What little they had done made her feel a little better. 

 

“I’m going to get these pants on you,” she told him. 

 

“Alright, love,” Lucifer said. “I’d hoped our reunion would… Would… Be you taking off my clothes.” He paused, smiling over a pained expression. “Not putting them on.”

 

“I know, angel,” Chloe said, unable to suppress a laugh. This isn’t how she had pictured it, either. 

 

By the time the pants were on him, Maze had returned. “Okay,” Chloe said. She fluffed one of the pillows on her bed. “Turn over. Lay down here.” 

 

Lucifer obliged, doing as she asked. He didn’t make a sound but she could see on his face that he was in a lot of pain. “Put one on his forehead and the other one on his chest,” Chloe instructed. 

 

Maze obeyed, too, and she also didn’t speak. Lucifer shivered away from the cool cloth but Chloe soothed him by running a thumb done his cheek. 

 

“It’s okay,” Chloe said. “We’re trying to help.” She picked up the blanket from her car that had been abandoned on the floor, throwing it over him and making sure he was covered. “You can rest now.”

 

“But we need to talk,” Lucifer implored, his eyes falsely bright. “I need to tell you…”

 

“You can tell me anything later,” Chloe said. “There will be plenty of time for that after you get some sleep.”

 

“If you insist,” Lucifer said. He reached over for her hand, squeezing it gently before bringing it to his lips. He kissed it gently, falling asleep with her hand over his heart.

 

“Chloe.”

 

Chloe’s eyes snapped up from Lucifer to where Amenadiel and Maze were standing at the door of the bed. Amenadiel looked solemn. He’d been watching the whole time, she realized, watching Lucifer. 

 

“I think I know why I didn’t sense him when he returned,” he said. “I couldn’t sense a shift in the divine presence on Earth because…” He trailed off. “There is no divinity. Lucifer is human.”


	5. Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amenadiel, Maze, and Chloe have a conversation before Lucifer interjects.

“No fucking way,” Maze said. Chloe was glad she could break the silence because Chloe certainly couldn’t. She’d barely come to terms with her partner’s divinity when he whisked himself away. Now he was back and Amenadiel was saying he wasn’t human? 

“You have to be shitting me,” Maze said. “He can’t be human. Humans can’t leave Hell!” 

“Not necessarily,” Amenadiel said. He hesitated before he continued, dipping his head slightly. Chloe almost thought he looked shameful. “An angel can call a soul back from Hell. I did it to Malcolm Graham.” 

Malcolm Graham. Chloe’s eyes widened. That did make sense. There was no way Malcolm could have survived the shot that Dan took at him. But why would Amenadiel bring back Malcolm? She filed that question away, wanting to focus instead on Lucifer. 

“Okay, but,” Maze stressed, gesturing at Lucifer. “If he’s human, then who called him out?”

“Father?” Amenadiel said tentatively. 

“Pardon the pun, but Hell no,” Maze said. “You and I both know that would never happen.” 

Chloe glanced back and forth between Amenadiel and Maze. Trying to keep up with the conversation between them was like watching ping pong to her, a woman barely introduced to celestials.

“Fair enough,” Amenadiel said. 

“And… And how is he even human, if you’re right?” Maze said. She seemed genuinely angry about the situation. Anyone could see that, but Chloe definitely could. “I cut off his wings and it didn’t stop him from being an angel!” 

“I don’t know,” Amenadiel said patiently. “I heard rumors a millennium or so ago that it was possible, but I never followed up. I am just telling you what I know and it’s that his grace is gone.” 

He hesitated, studying his brother. “He smells more like Chloe than me now.” 

Chloe had finally found her place to join the conversation. “What do you mean he smells like me?” she said. 

“I blessed your parents so they could conceive you,” Amenadiel explained, as if that cleared everything up. Instead, everything got terribly more complicated in Chloe’s head.

“Hold on,” she said. “Wait, back up. You blessed my parents?” 

“I thought you knew,” Amenadiel said, frowning slightly. 

“No, I did not!” Chloe said, struggling to keep her voice from going too loud. This had been a very, very strange day. 

“Oh,” Amenadiel said. “I am surprised it never came up. We - as in Lucifer and I - believed that blessing is linked to his vulnerability around you. But you smell… Faintly of an angel. Like if I gave you a feather of mine. The smallest bit of divinity. Lucifer has the same smell. It’s not overwhelmingly angel and it’s only there if you’re looking for it.” 

Chloe sunk down into a chair beside her bed, swallowing hard. That was a lot of information to take in all at once. “I…” 

She had been about to say I don’t know but the words didn’t make it to her mouth. She didn’t know what to do, what to think. She only knew that Lucifer was in her bed, whatever form he was in - human, angel, devil. 

“He said he was going to tell me,” Chloe recalled. “At the beach. I asked how he was back and he said he’d tell me later but he just wanted to get home. Maybe we just… Just need to wait for him to wake up. And then he can tell us.”

“Yeah,” Maze said, still flowering a little. Why she was angry, Chloe hadn’t quite placed yet. “Then he’ll tell you” - she poked Amenadiel in the chest for emphasis - “how stupid that is. Lucifer Morningstar, human.” She stormed out of the room, leaving Amenadiel with Chloe and Lucifer.

“Perhaps that’s best,” Amenadiel said. “We don’t speculate until we have Lucifer’s story.”

“Yeah,” Chloe said, rubbing her temples. She was starting to get a headache. The noise of her stomach growling reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since early that morning and it felt like a lifetime had passed since then. 

“I can make lunch,” she said, glancing up st Amenadiel. “If you guys eat that sort of thing.”

Amenadiel smiles faintly. “I would appreciate that, Chloe,” he said. “I’ll stay here with my brother.”

“Thanks,” Chloe said. She had been reluctant to leave him alone so she was glad Amenadiel had extended the offer. She stood up from the chair, touching his shoulder comfortingly as she left. 

She found Maze staring out the window, smoking a cigarette. “You okay?” Chloe said, tentatively approaching. 

“Fine,” Maze said stiffly. “I’m perfectly fine. Lucifer may just be human but I’m fine.” 

“No one who says I’m fine that many times is fine,” Chloe pointed. “Do you, uh…” She trailed off, debating which route to take the conversation. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Maze said. She took another drag of her cigarette, her gaze once again out the window. Knowing she wasn’t likely to get anything out of her, she shrugged and headed for the kitchen. 

Luckily she still had cheese. A lot of cheese. Pulling out a skillet from one of her cabinets, she slid it onto the stove and turned it on. Her ingredients - a jar of mayo, bread, and plenty of cheese - joined her on the counter. She’d made grilled cheeses hundreds of times. No matter how crazy her life was, she could make a grilled cheese.

Making the sandwiches was therapeutic and before long, she had three done and on plates st the table. “Guys, dinner’s done,” she called. Maze meandered over from where she had been at the window. 

“Trixie loves these,” she commented, taking a seat at the table and pulling a plate closer to her. 

Amenadiel, moments later, appeared in the doorway. “Thank you, Chloe,” he said, sitting beside Maze. Chloe took her spot opposite then, taking a bite of her grilled cheese. It was quiet and she couldn’t stop thinking about Lucifer in the next room over. Lucifer, who was in pain. Lucifer, who might be human. 

They ate in relative silence, each one lost in their own head. Chloe opened her mouth to ask about Malcolm, ask about her own brush with divinity, but she was silenced before she started by what sounded like a pitiful whine. Like a child. 

“Lucifer,” she said. Chloe immediately stood up and headed towards her bedroom. She was right because what she saw from the doorway was Lucifer. He was curled up into a tight, uncomfortable-looking ball, the blanket tangled in his legs. He was whimpering, too. 

“It’s too hot,” he said. “It’s too hot, too hot. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, please… Dad, please… Hurts.”

Chloe’s heart stopped as she hurried to his side. “Lucifer,” she said, reaching out to touch him. He flinched away from her touch but didn’t wake. “Lucifer, it’s okay. You’re on Earth. You’re here. It’s okay.”

“Too hot,” Lucifer repeated. He scratched at his arms, his eyes shut, like he was trying to get rid of something. 

“He’s dreaming,” Amenadiel said, his voice suddenly behind her shoulder startling her. 

“About the fall,” Maze finished. “I met him not too long after that.” 

Chloe reached out again, touching his shoulder gently. He was burning up still, and from his position, she could see the bumps of his spine. 

“His fever’s gone up,” she said, chewing on her bottom lip. “That can’t be good.” 

Gently, Chloe shook his shoulder. “Lucifer, angel,” she said. “I need you to wake up. I’m gonna… Gonna try and get you some medicine, okay? Cool you down a bit.” 

Lucifer didn’t seem to hear her, still mumbling under his breath. “Too hot,” he said. “Too hot. Burns. What did I do? What did I do?” 

Chloe’s heart broke which stiffened her resolve. She didn’t want him living in that dream world any longer than he already had. “Lucifer,” she said. “Lucifer, please, wake up. You’re dreaming, angel.” 

She shook his shoulder again, more forcefully this time, and his eyes flew up. They were glazed over and she knew the look in them. “Maze,” she said suddenly. “The trash can. Hurry.” 

Luckily, Maze did as asked, and pushed the bin into Chloe’s hands. She got Lucifer into a sitting position just in time for him to throw up. She wanted to rub his back, tell him it would be okay, but she didn’t want to touch the bandages or his wounds. She didn’t want to hurt him more. 

“You’re too hot,” Chloe said. 

“Hot damn,” Lucifer whispered, br his heart wasn’t in it because he heaved into the trash can again.

“He has to go to the hospital,” Chloe said, looking up at Maze and Amenadiel. “I don’t think I can make this better with aspirin.”

“He can’t go to a hospital,” Maze insisted. “He’s the Devil. The actual Devil.” 

“Mazikeen,” Amenadiel said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “If there’s a chance it can help him, we have to try.” 

“Why don’t you fix him, then, huh?” Maze said, pushing Amenadiel back. “You’re an angel. Pull it one of your feathers and fix him.”

“I can’t,” Amenadiel said, “and you know I can’t. I can’t heal and I can’t slow time. We need to get him to someone that can help him.”

Maze hesitated, glancing back at Lucifer. Chloe looked up to meet her eyes, still steadying Lucifer with a hand on his shoulder. “Fine,” she said. “We’ll take him to your stupid mortal hospital.”

Chloe straightened up, looking towards Amenadiel. “You can get him there faster,” she said. “Go. Maze and I will meet you there.” 

Amenadiel modded solemnly before crossing to the bed and gathering Lucifer into his arms as carefully as he could. Lucifer mumbled something into his chest Chloe couldn’t make out but Amenadiel smiled faintly. 

“I promise you, Lucy, I will never leave you again,” he said. Carrying Lucifer as if he were nothing but a baby, Amenadiel left the bedroom. Chloe and Maze followed suit but by the time they got into the living room, the front door was wide open and Amenadiel was gone. 

“I’ll drive,” Chloe said suddenly, grabbing her keys from where she’d discarded them on the counter when she had brought Lucifer inside.

“Drive fast, Decker,” Maze said. 

Chloe swallowed hard as she climbed into the car, started it up, and drove towards the hospital with Maze in the front passenger’s seat. She hadn’t gotten Lucifer back just to lose him again. This had to work.


	6. Chapter V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samael ends and Lucifer begins.

_ Samael wasn’t sure how long he’d been falling but it felt like an eternity. He was twisting and turning as he hurtled farther and farther away from Heaven, his chest tight and each new second filled with just as much fear as the first. He was going to hit the ground, he knew, and all he could think about wasn’t how much the impact would work but how much his father’s words had hurt.  _

 

_ “For your crime, spend eternity punishing others for theirs. You’re not Samael anymore,” He’d said. “You’re not My son.” He didn’t even need to touch Samael to send him falling. He just looked away, shook his head ever so slightly, and everything collapsed around Samael.  _

 

_ “I’m sorry, Dad,” Samael cried out, the words ripped from his lungs. So he’d convinced Eve to try the apple. They’d been having fun together and he wasn’t hurting anyone and she wanted to know what it tasted like, too. She wanted to know and he couldn’t lie. He could barely even be deceitful. So he offered her the Apple. So he wanted to be loved like God loved humans. Where was the problem in that? What crime had he done that deserved the punishment of getting cast out of Heaven?  _

 

_ His body contorted and twisted as fell, the force of it tanking out a few of his feathers along the way. It was stinging and burning and getting hotter and hotter. He knew he was getting closer to Hell, but he didn’t want to. “What did I do?” he cried, but the words were ripped from his mouth when they were hardly spoken. “Please,” he begged. “Please, please… I don’t want to fall.” _

 

_ More accurately, Samael didn’t want to hit the ground. He was terrified of what would come next. Everything he’d ever known was changing. He’d been cast out and he was hurtling into Hell. Who would be waiting for him when he got there? Would he even be alive when he got there?  _

 

_ He didn’t need to worry about that. There was no way God would let him die before he’d fulfilled his punishment.  _

 

_ Samael had been falling for so long that the impact shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. He curled his wings around him but they were sore from being torn at and offered him little protection. He slammed into the stone so hard that everything went as white as his feathers. There was cracking, cracking that came from his bones and the stone. He cried out in pain, something more animalistic than he’d ever done before. There wasn’t an atom or a fiber of his being that wasn’t alight with pain. Everything was burning.  _

 

_ In fact, he was sure he was on fire, too.  _

 

_ The fire didn’t fade but burned brighter until it consumed him. _

 

_ Except it didn’t because he woke up. Samael’s skin was still charred, blistering and red and black and hideous, but he wasn’t on fire anymore. He was in the exact same place he’d landed with no way to tell that time had passed. Even though he was awake, he couldn’t bring himself to get up. He didn’t have the strength left and his wings were still slowly and desperately trying to knit their own bones back together. So he laid there, laid there for at least a year until he finally had enough strength to get up.  _

 

_ Samael whimpered as he boosted himself onto his elbows. Everything was stiff and sore but he couldn’t lay in a hole in the ground for eternity, could he? He’d get bored. His wings fluttered weakly, vainly trying to support him. Using his arms with his feet scrabbling for purchase, Samael dragged himself out of the crater he’d made. _

 

_ Dropping onto his stomach, Samael tried desperately to catch his breath. The only things he could see were dark, dusted stone and his own charred hands. If they looked like that, he was terrified to see his face.  _

 

_ A voice broke the silence, the first voice he had heard since God had cast him out of Heaven.  _

 

_ “And I thought you were dead.” _

 

_ Samael pushes himself to a knee and spins around, his wings curled in slightly in the illusion of protection. Hell fades in and out of focus as he calls out, “Who are you?” _

 

_ The figure comes into focus. She’s beautiful, with dark skin and long, dark hair, but she’s mysterious, too. He’s never seen someone like her.  _

 

_ “Lilith,” she says. “I live here.” _

 

_ Here is Hell, Samael reminds himself. Hell, where he’s been cursed to stay for eternity.  _

 

_ “Are you human?” he asks.  _

 

_ Lilith laughs, tossing her hair. “Not quite,” she says. “I’m more like you.” _

 

_ Lucifer frowns slightly. The woman his ex was created to replace wasn’t human. “You’re an angel,” he surmises. _

 

_ “With no wings,” Lilith amends. “So I can’t leave.” _

 

_ “I can’t either,” he says. “Dad sent me. I’m to be punished by punishing others for eternity.” _

 

_ “I’d guessed it was our father who art in Heaven,” says Lilith, taking a step closer to study him. “You’ve got such pretty wings. But you don’t have the face of an angel anymore.” _

 

_ Samael instinctively reaches up, touching the side of his face. It’s scarred just like the rest of him, burned from The Fall.  _

 

_ Lilith chuckles. “Don’t worry,” she says. “You’ll fit in just fine down here, Lucifer.” _

 

_ Samael frowns. “Lucifer?” he repeats.  _

 

_ “The lightbringer,” Lilith says. “The Morning Star. You finally lit the fires of Hell. I’d say that’s plenty of light to warrant the name.” _

 

_ The angel considers that for a few beats. He isn’t Samael anymore. He can’t be. But Lucifer? It has a nice ring to it. He tries on the moniker. It feels powerful. It feels like a name fit for a king. Lucifer, the Lightbringer. Lucifer, the Morning Star. Lucifer, the King of Hell. _

 

_ Turning, he surveys his new kingdom. At least, he thinks, trying to make his situation less bleak, he’s ruling now, not being crushed under the thumb of a father who clearly detests him. “So this is my kingdom,” he says. He takes a deep breath, finally used to the stinging ash in the air. He stretches out his wings to their full span.  _

 

_ “Lucifer,” he says. It feels right on his tongue. He’s Lucifer now and he’s in Hell where he belongs.  _


	7. Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Morningstar vs. the healthcare system.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a filler chapter to tide us over to the next one. We’ll get to see present day Lucifer again and hopefully hear more of his side of the story...

Luckily, it didn’t take Chloe too long to get to the hospital. What was agonizing was parking. Maze looked ready to abandon her but she found a spot before the demon could smash Chloe’s window and escape. 

 

She had barely unlocked the car before Maze was out and heading towards the hospital doors. Chloe almost had to run to keep up. The automatic doors slid open as Maze stalked towards them and Chloe hurried behind her. 

 

It wasn’t hard for them to find Amenadiel. He was a tall imposing figure, larger than most of the other patients in the waiting room. “Mazikeen,” he said. “Chloe.”

 

Maze breezed past Amenadiel towards the nurse’s desk but Chloe stopped. “How is he?” she said.

 

“They took him away,” Amenadiel said. There was something dark behind his eyes. “I gave them everything they needed to know.”

 

“Did they tell you anything?” Chloe asked. “Anything at all?” 

 

Amenadiel shook his head but their attention was drawn by a commotion at the nurse’s desk. Maze had arrived. “Where is Lucifer Morningstar?” she growled, her voice low and dark. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you. I will kill you. Where is he? Where’s Lucifer?”

 

The nurse stammered in fear, scooting her chair back from Maze. “I… I, uh… Mr. Morningstar…”

 

Maze moved like she was about to grab the nurse by the collar and torture Lucifer’s whereabouts from her before Amenadiel swept forward, putting his hand on her shoulder. She spun around, about to punch whoever dared touch her, but stopped when she realized it was him. “Mazikeen,” he said. “They’re helping him. There’s no need to get violent.” 

 

Maze deflated a little but was still glowering. “It’s okay,” Chloe said, trying to placate her friend. “They’ll tell us when something’s changed, when we can go see him.” 

 

The demon whirled around on her heel, stalking over to the awkwardly sized and hideous waiting room chairs. She chose one directly in front of the nurse’s desk before she sat down, crossing her arms and staring the nurse down. Amenadiel sat on one side of her and Chloe the other. “It won’t be long,” Amenadiel said, but Chloe couldn’t tell if he meant it or if he was trying to convince himself. It wouldn’t be long and then she’d have Lucifer back for real. 

 

Chloe picked up a magazine after an excruciatingly long time, flicking through it without really reading while Maze looked at her phone, every once in awhile staring down the nurse. Her mind was mulling over everything she knew and how all of that was changing. What if Amenadiel was right? What if Lucifer was human? What would that mean for them, for him? She couldn’t stop thinking and eventually the words on the page were nothing but blurred lines. 

 

The detective barely registered the automatic doors sliding open now but this time it was different. This time it was someone she knew. The clicking heels was rapid and drew closer until Maze spoke. “Linda, over here.”

 

Chloe looked up from the magazine she was somehow almost finished with to see LA’s resident celestial therapist with her hair tied back in a blouse and a skirt. 

 

“I came as soon as I could,” she said, sitting next to Chloe. “Charlie’s with the sitter. What happened? All you said was that Lucifer came back and he’s in the hospital, Maze,” Linda said. 

 

“Chloe found him,” Maze said, turning to look on the detective. 

 

“Missing persons called,” she said. “Some crazy person on the beach was asking for me. I brought Lucifer to my place because he had these… Wounds on his back and I didn’t think I could take him to the hospital. But then he got worse and Amenadiel and Maze came over and he said-“

 

“He’s human,” Amenadiel chimed in.

 

“Human,” Linda repeated. “Then how did he get back from Hell? And… And how is that even possible?”

 

“We don’t know,” Amenadiel said. “He told Chloe he would tell her the whole story, but then he got worse and we’re here.” 

 

“Oh,” Linda said. “That’s…”

 

“Problematic?” Maze said. 

 

“That’s one word you could use for it,” Linda said. “How long has he been back there?” 

 

“Little over an hour,” Amenadiel said. 

 

Chloe frowned. Had it been that long? She had zoned out trying not to think of the bad ways this thing could end that she must have been out longer than she thought. Maybe he’d be out soon. They had to know something. 

 

A doctor stepped through the doors, crossing to the nurse’s desk. He spoke to her in hushed tones before she pointed directly at Maze. It didn’t escape Maze’s notice and she shot straight up. 

 

“Speak of the Devil,” Chloe murmured.

 

“You know something about Lucifer,” Maze said. Linda, Amenadiel, and Chloe all stood, anxious to hear about him, but Linda took an extra step to put her hand on Maze’s arm. 

 

“It’s alright,” she said. “He’s going to tell us what he knows. We don’t need to attack him.”

 

Maze deflated a little bit was still staring daggers at the doctor. 

 

“Family of Lucifer Morningstar, I’m sure,” he said.

 

“Yeah,” Chloe said. “Yeah. Is he alright?” 

 

“Those two wounds on his back were nasty,” the doctor said. “Sepsis had set in. But we caught it before it had advanced to septic shock, got the wounds cleaned up, got him on antibiotics and intravenous fluids. On top of that, he was dehydrated. We want to keep him here under observation but I do expect him to make a full recovery.”

 

Chloe let out a breath. He was going to be okay. She had no idea what she’d do if he wasn’t. This was the first time she’d seen him in months and she’d missed him terribly. 

 

“Can we see him, Doctor?” Amenadiel asked, stepping forward.

 

The man nodded. “I’ll have a nurse take you to his room. I’ll only allow the four of you to stay provided you do not interfere with Mr. Morningstar’s care.”

 

“We’ll behave, Doctor,” Linda said with a slightly forced smile. She squeezed Maze’s arm gently as they made their way to a nurse the doctor had pointed out. 

 

Chloe’s footsteps felt heavy as they made their way down the halls towards Lucifer. Everything was sinking in. Lucifer was back from Hell and not only was he back, he was startling human. It was a radical change but a change she was prepared for if it meant she had Lucifer back. 

 

The nurse lingered beside the doorway, gesturing for them to enter. Chloe ended up being first and her heart sank a little when she saw him.

 

He was pale, his dark hair a vivid contrast to his skin. It was so strange to see Lucifer in a hospital bed, wearing a scratchy paper gown with an IV stuck in one of his arms. Curled up slightly on his side and sleeping quietly, Lucifer looked very, very human.

 

Chloe moves forward regardless, sitting beside his bed. Amenadiel followed her, sitting nearest the window. Linda entered, too, but Maze stood in the doorway as if she was glued to the floor. 

 

“I’ve never seen him like this,” she said, watching Lucifer like she’d never seen him at all before. “I’ve known him for thousands and thousands and  _ thousands _ of years and I’ve never seen him like this.” 

 

“It’s alright, Maze,” Linda said, comfortingly. “I know it’s not easy to see a loved one in such a tough position.” Linda’s touch seemed to soften the demon considerably because Maze let her guide her to a seat with Linda’s hand still on her arm. 

 

Maze looked strange, too, Chloe thought. It was a new setting for someone she’d known quite a few years. It was shaping up to be a very strange day. She didn’t know how Lucifer was back, but she did know she wasn’t leaving that chair for a long time. 


	8. Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer wakes up and makes Amenadiel an offer he can’t refuse.

“You look ravashing, love.”

 

Chloe had been half asleep, her elbow braced on the armrest of her chair and chin in hand, when Lucifer spoke. It was a very precarious position and Lucifer suddenly speaking startling her so much that her elbow slid off the armrest. She barely caught herself but the embarrassing moment wasn’t what she was focusing on. She was focusing on the fact that Lucifer was awake, smiling faintly at her. His face was pale but he was awake and alive and talking to her coherently. 

 

“Lucifer,” she breathed. “How long have you been awake?”

 

“Not long,” Lucifer said. He smiled cheekily. “I like watching you sleep.”

 

Chloe shook her head, reaching forward to brush one of Lucifer’s curls from his forehead. “You had me worried sick,” she said. “What do you remember?” 

 

“Being at your home,” he said. “I vaguely recall a few suggestive comments.” Lucifer’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I threw up. It was a delightful new experience that I do not want to repeat.” 

 

“Your fever spiked,” Chloe said. “I panicked and we brought you here. Maze didn’t think they’d be able to do anything but Amenadiel thought they would because you felt…” She trailed off, trying to think up how best to word his brother’s theory.

 

“Human,” Lucifer finished.

 

“Yeah,” Chloe said. “He said you didn’t… Didn’t feel divine or something like that. And you smelled like me.” 

 

“I hope I smelled decent, at least,” Lucifer said, wrinkling his nose slightly. She knew he cared about his appearance a lot and smell was a part of that. 

 

“Was… Was he right?” she asked cautiously, not sure if she was afraid of the answer or not. “Are you human?” 

 

“Oh, very,” Lucifer said. “I would think my bleeding and… Projectile vomiting would have cued you in.”

 

Chloe sat back in her chair, trying to wrap her mind around that. Lucifer was human, actually completely human. He wasn’t the angel her eyes had been opened to. He was human. 

 

“And… How did you get back?” she asked. “How did you get out of Hell?”

 

“Simple,” Lucifer said. “I did what devils historically do. I made a deal.”

 

Before he could speak again, the door to Lucifer’s room opened again and Amenadiel started to talk before he came into view. 

 

“Maze and Linda are still picking up Charlie, so I went to get-” 

 

Amenadiel stopped in the middle of a sentence and in his tracks when he noticed Lucifer. “Lucy!” he said, smiling. He quickly handed two coffee cups to Chloe, enveloping Lucifer in a bear hug. Lucifer winced slightly which made Amenadiel instantly release him. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Lucifer dismisses, getting comfortable on the bed again. “It’s nice, being touched again.” He paused for a beat. “That sounded dirtier than I meant for it to. Is this how I sound all the time?”

 

“Always,” Chloe said. 

 

“Every day,” Amenadiel added, taking one of the cups from Chloe and pulling a chair next to hers. But Chloe wasn’t thinking about how dirty it sounded. She was thinking of how depressing it was. Lucifer was someone who fed off of people and being near people and touching them and talking to them and being loved by them. She couldn’t imagine what Hell had been like for him.

 

“I bet you’re wondering why I’ve asked you both here today,” Lucifer said. “I’m going to tell you the entire sordid tale of my second fall from Grace and subsequent return to Earth.” 

 

“Wait,” Chloe said. “Maze. And Linda. Wait until they get back. They’ll want to hear it, too.”

 

Lucifer cringed slightly at the mention of Maze while Amenadiel spoke. “Smart,” he said. “I’ll let them know.” He pulled out his phone, typing a message.

 

“I imagine Mazikeen is not happy with me,” he said. “Leaving without her.”

 

“She wasn’t,” Chloe admitted. “She really, really wasn’t.”

 

“She has a family now,” Lucifer said, glancing over at his brother. “There was no need to sever ties for the both of us.” 

  
  


Lucifer shifted slightly, wincing as he studied his brother. “If the position is still vacant, I accept,” he said. 

 

Amenadiel frowned. “Position?” he echoed.

 

“Yes,” Lucifer said. “Charlie’s godfather. I had quite a bit of time to think in Hell and I’ve decided I’m interested.”

 

Amenadiel smiled and that made Chloe smile, too. “Of course,” he said. “It’s always open for you, Lucy.” 

 

“How is the little miscreant?” Lucifer asked. “Has he sprouted wings yet? Any powers?” 

 

“Nothing yet,” Amenadiel said. “But he’s growing fast for a human. He’s already talking and starting to stand on his own.”

 

Lucifer shifted his gaze to Chloe, frowning. “Is that impressive?” he asked. “I know absolutely nothing about small humans.” 

 

Chloe laughed a little, shaking her head. “Yes, it is,” she said. “It’s very impressive.”

 

“Ah,” Lucifer said. He turned his attention back to Amenadiel. “In that case, congratulations.”

 

Chloe wasn’t paying too much attention to the conversation. She heard it but nothing really registered in her mind. She was too focused on Lucifer. He wasn’t doing anything particularly amazing or interesting, but he was there. He was right in front of her, human, but alive and there. She could touch him and she did, fixing his hair, adjusting the tape that held his IV in place when he complained about it itching. She hadn’t seen him in months, so she was perfectly content in the moment just watching him.

 

Until, of course, the door opened again. In the doorway was Linda, in more comfortable clothes than she’d arrived in the first time, and Maze with Charlie on her hip. “You,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “How dare you leave me. Without a word, without anything.”

 

“I couldn’t,” Lucifer said. He got a lot softer, sadder. It made Chloe sad, too. “If I stayed any longer, I was never going to be able to leave and I had to. For…” His eyes flicked from Maze’s face to the child. “Him.” 

 

Maze paused for a beat and then deflated. It wasn’t much and anyone who didn’t know her likely wouldn’t have noticed, but Chloe did. They all did.

 

“Maze!” Charlie said happily, breaking the silence. “Maze, love you.” 

 

“I know,” Maze said. She kissed his forehead, a soft gesture that Chloe wouldn’t have thought possible from her not too long ago. Lucifer felt the same if she had interpreted his expression correctly. 

 

“Here, sit with Dada,” she said, sitting the child in Amenadiel’s lap, who wrapped his arms around Charlie and spoke to him for a few moments, before she fixed her eyes on Lucifer, “it’s storytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought we were going to get to the full story in this chapter too my dudes but it didn’t happen the narrative wants what the narrative wants


	9. Chapter VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer finally tells a story that goes back a very, very long time.

“Alright, gather ‘round,” Lucifer said sighing softly. “I promised you the story. It began roughly three months or a number of decades ago when I went to Hell.”

 

“We know this part,” Maze said, slightly irritably. “We want to know what happened after.”

 

“It’s my story,” Lucifer said, pouting. “I’ll telling it how I want.” 

 

“Fine, whatever,” Maze said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

 

“So,” Lucifer said, “I was in Hell. And as you know, I am no longer fond of my former home.”

 

“We are well aware, brother,” Amenadiel said.

 

Lucifer frowned. “I didn’t ask for your commentary.”

 

Amenadiel lifted one hand in a peaceable gesture, the other wrapped around his son. 

 

Lucifer clears his throat to continue. “Hell was a mess when I first got back,” Lucifer admitted. “It took years to get everything back into order. Time consuming, but necessary. I couldn’t leave my successor a mess.”

 

“Your successor,” Chloe repeated. “You have a successor. Who is it?” 

 

“Chloe, darling,” Lucifer said, “I love you, but I need to tell the story.” 

 

Chloe couldn’t help but smile even though she’d been chastised. Lucifer loved her. “I’m sorry,” she said. 

 

“At least Linda’s behaving,” Lucifer commented. “No interruptions.”

 

Linda smiles faintly, shrugging. “I’m a therapist,” she said. “Most of my job is listening. To you, especially.” 

 

“Good point,” Lucifer said. “I asked Dad first, asked if He’d let me go, but of course, no answer. So I moved to plan B which was to find a suitable substitute already in my kingdom so I could abdicate properly.”

 

“But only an angel can take the throne, Lucy,” Amenadiel pointed out. “You were the only angel in Hell.”

 

“That’s what I thought, too,” Lucifer said, “then I remembered there was another one and I had locked her away a few thousand years ago.” Lucifer paused, his eyes flicking over to Maze for a beat. He took a deep breath and then spoke again. 

 

“So I went to make a deal with her. With Lilith.” 

 

The impact on the other occupants of the room was instantaneous. Chloe could see Amenadiel’s face shift to confusion, Maze’s to confusion and anger, and Linda’s to concern. Chloe knew very little about the name Lilith, only that she was Maze’s mother. The mother of all demons.

 

“No fucking way,” Maze said. She shook her head, laughing. “You’re crazy. My mother was not an angel.”

 

“Mama, Mama,” Charlie said alerting Chloe again to his presence. She had half forgotten he was there. His call was half repetition, half request. 

 

“I have to agree with Maze, Lucy,” Amenadiel said. He stood up, handing Charlie to Linda who started bouncing him on her leg while locked onto the story. “She was not an angel. She was… The original woman that became corrupted. She wasn’t an  _ angel,  _ brother.”

 

Lucifer sighed. “She was an angel,” he said. “Father just didn’t want you lot to know He’d failed. He created her to be Adam’s first wife but when that fell through, He gave us the commandment thou shall not mingle amorously with humans and never told a soul what she used to be. She didn’t fall, not like I did. She just…” Lucifer frowned, searching for the words. “What did I tell Pratchett and Gaiman again… Saunter vaguely downwards, that’s it. She chose Hell after dear old Dad took her wings. But even without them, she was still an angel. Just an angel trapped in Hell.” 

 

When Lucifer paused for a moment, Amenadiel shook his head. “I know you don’t lie, brother,” he said, “but many demons do. Maybe they gave you false information. Who did you learn this from anyway?” 

 

“Lilith,” Lucifer said simply. “Why, she told me the whole story when I fell. She was my welcoming committee. Came on a bit strong, it got a little weird.”

 

Amenadiel, however, didn’t seem too preoccupied with how weird Lucifer and Lilith’s first interaction was. “Another thing Father has kept from us,” he said softly, his fingers curling in towards his palm. 

 

“Don’t feel bad, brother,” Lucifer said. “Dad isn’t big on sharing, especially not His mistakes.” He paused for a beat. “Where was I? Yes, Lilith. First meeting. She gave me my name then.”

 

“Lucifer,” Chloe said. “She named you?”

 

“Why, yes, actually,” Lucifer said. “I wasn’t… My old name. The one God had given me. I brought light to Hell, so I was the Lightbringer.”

 

Maze crossed her arms, her expression now unreadable. “Seems like she cared more about you than any of us,” she said irritably. 

 

“Oh, I doubt it,” Lucifer said. “Lucifer was one of the only good things she ever did for me. Why, she severed my wings and she didn’t do it nearly as cleanly as you did, Mazikeen.” 

 

Chloe knew Lucifer had cut off his wings before - or rather, Maze had. But hearing that it had happened again, that someone had brutally hacked off two of his limbs? She couldn’t imagine the pain he had been in. Her face paled when she even thought about it and she could see Linda doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

 

“Oh, Lucifer,” Linda said softly. “I can’t imagine.” 

 

“I did tell her to,” Lucifer admitted, but he had grown more somber. Chloe could see the pain on his face and she knew he was feeling every ache and pain from the wounds on his back acutely. “I found her where I’d locked her away in Hell. Well, ‘locked’ is a strong word. But I did find her. When she asked what I would be willing to give her in exchange for her taking the throne and I said…” Lucifer faltered, but Amenadiel, leaning forward, spoke.

 

“Your divinity,” he said softly. 

 

“On the nose,” Lucifer said, smiling, but it looked painful. “My grace, my wings… All of it. The only things she left me with were my stunning good looks and my penchant for working desires out of people.”

 

“You gave it all up,” Maze said. “You gave up  _ everything  _ just to be able to come back here.”

 

“Why, yes,” Lucifer said, blinking. “I was… Made aware of what I had here and during my time in Hell this go around, I realized that I was willing to sacrifice everything but the safety of these people to return.” 

 

The room was silent for what seemed like a long time, save for the intermittent beeping of Lucifer’s monitors. Even little Charlie sensed that this was a time to be quiet. Chloe eventually moved, leaning over to cup Lucifer’s cheek in her hand. He looked up at her, his eyes and his smile soft and sweet. 

 

“Lucifer,” she said, “I… I am really, really glad you’re back.”

 

“Me, too, love,” Lucifer said. “Now can I get a kiss? It has been a very long trip.”

 

Chloe laughed, leaning forward and pressing their lips together for a quick kiss. She couldn’t deny that she had been wanting to kiss him, to touch him, hold him, just be with him again for months.

 

Maze cleared her throat, reminding Chloe that there were actually more people in the room. She flushed slightly, sliding back in her seat as Maze spoke. 

 

“Okay,” she said, “but how did you survive that? When I cut off your wings, you were out for days and you weren’t even…” Maze paused for a beat, frowning. “ _ Human  _ then.”

 

“Oh, I didn’t,” Lucifer said matter-of-factly. “I hung on for awhile, I think, but eventually I did die. But Lilith pulled an Amenadiel and shoved me back into my body before I was too far gone. Once I was back in, she unceremoniously threw me up here. I landed in the desert, can you believe it?” Lucifer added, laughing. “The desert. I walked all the way into the city completely nude, which I normally don’t mind. I passed out on the beach, terrified an old woman, had the police called on me, blah, blah, blah, which brings us to the present.” 

 

The room went quiet again. Chloe hated his story, hated almost every word of it. It was awful, what he had to go through, all so he could come home. So he could be with her, with his family, all the while keeping her and Charlie safe. 

 

“Well,” Maze said, “what do we do now?” 

 

“I’m not quite sure,” Lucifer said. He looked around the room, his eyes passing over Amenadiel, Maze, Linda, and Charlie before resting on Chloe who was closest to him. He smiled at her before he spoke again. 

 

“Live, I suppose. What else is there?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never fear, this isn’t the end. That just felt like a really nice place to subdivide. There is more coming soon! Be sure to sub to me or the series.


End file.
